Jurors convict Illinois deputy of killing Sonya Massey but can’t agree on first-degree murder charge

Donna Massey, center right, wipes tears from her face as she listens to Rev. Al Sharpton, right, speak during a press conference over the shooting death of her daughter Sonya, who was killed by Illinois sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, at New Mount Pilgrim Church in the Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, file)

PEORIA, Ill. — A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder, a lesser charge, in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a suspected prowler.

Sean Grayson could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison or even probation. The jury did not convict him of first-degree murder, a crime that carries a sentence of 45 years to life.

Massey’s supporters were angered by the result.

“I’m fueled by rage right now,” said Massey’s cousin, Sontae Massey. “You get an officer that says he’s going to shoot you in the face, and then he shoots you in the face, and you only get second-degree? The justice system did exactly what it’s designed to do today. It’s not meant for us.”

A call for help and a fatal encounter

Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes, and prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, called for the Illinois measure to become law nationally, along with stalled federal police misconduct and civil rights legislation.

“There’s a difference in this country when you have my skin color and Grayson’s skin color,” Wilburn said. “We need serious justice, not a miscarriage of justice.”

Grayson, who is white, and another deputy arrived at Massey’s home in Springfield early on July 6, 2024, after she reported hearing someone banging on the outside of her house. He shot the 36-year-old woman after confronting her inside about how she was handling a pot of hot water on the stove.

Grayson and his attorneys argued that he fired his gun in fear that Massey would scald him with the hot water, contending at one point that Massey provoked the encounter by threatening to throw the pot at him.

“Anybody who watched the video and thinks that it was partly Sonya’s fault is inhumane,” Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, said after the verdict. “And for them not to give him life, and Sonya got life -- and death ΓǪ I can’t wait until he goes to hell.”

Grayson, 31, who was fired upon his indictment, was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder, which can apply when a defendant faces a “serious provocation” or believes their action is justified even if that belief is unreasonable. He will be sentenced on Jan. 29.

State’s Attorney John Milhiser would not comment as he left the courtroom. He was repeatedly praised by Massey’s supporters for pursuing a trial that was moved 75 miles (120.7 kilometres) north to the Peoria County courthouse because of intense publicity in Springfield.

Defence attorney Daniel Fultz declined to comment after the verdict.

Officer testified in his own defence

Body camera video recorded by another Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy at the scene, Dawson Farley, was a key part of the prosecution’s case. It showed Massey, who struggled with mental health issues, telling the officers, “Don’t hurt me,” and repeating, “Please God.”

When the deputies entered the house, Grayson saw the pot on the stove and ordered Farley to move it. Massey jumped up to retrieve the pot, and she and Grayson joked about how he said he was backing off from the “hot, steaming water.” Massey then replied, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson immediately warned her that he would shoot her in the face. He and Farley drew their pistols and yelled at Massey to put the pot down. Grayson, who testified in his own defence, told investigators he thought her “rebuke” meant she intended to kill him and, in the following commotion, fired three shots, striking Massey just below the eye.

Former justice says probation off the table at sentencing

While probation is a possible punishment, former state appellate court Justice David Erickson, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, said it’s unlikely.

“There will be no probation because of the killing of an innocent woman,” Erickson said. “Obviously, the jury could not find any intent to kill, necessary for murder one.”

But Erickson predicted Grayson would get a sentence on the low end of the four- to 20-year range -- which comes with day-for-day credit if he behaves behind bars -- because Grayson has no criminal record, lacked intent to kill, and believed, mistakenly, that he was in danger.

Despite family members’ anger, Antonio Romanucci, one of the lawyers who helped Massey’s relatives win a $10 million settlement from Sangamon County, said, “Make no mistake: Sean Grayson is convicted of murder. He is a murderer now.”

Farley testified that Massey didn’t say or do anything that caused him to view her as a threat. But under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he initially reported to investigators that he feared for his safety because of the hot water. Farley did not fire his weapon and was not charged.

Massey’s death forced the early retirement of the sheriff who hired Grayson and generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry that was settled when the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department’s agreed to bolster de-escalation training, work with mental health professionals when necessary and generate data on use-of-force incidents.

John O’connor, The Associated Press